tunegrape: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings Beast Buy Theater

I've been mentioning Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings a lot lately, because I saw them on Thursday, December 30th. It was wild, a whole new experience for me, and almost as much as or more of people a party then any rap, punk, rock, whatever show festival I've ever been to. The atmosphere was wild and energetic and a bit alcohol induced. There was a lot of overly drunk middle aged shuffle and stumble dancing. A couple older women drunkenly screaming cigarette laden cheers as well. The band though, was amazing. After an entertaining warm up by the Dap Kings Sharon Jones came out and immediately busted out some high energy, raspy, time machine funk and soul. I didn't grow up in an time when the music Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings creates was really at it's prime, but I definitely feel like this show touched at least a little upon the atmosphere those past shows created. At one point Jones went through a lesson of a series of dances popular in the late 60's along with a driving powerful train like rhythm and horns section powering her through it. As well later in the show she had each member of the Dap Kings play a solo on their individual instrument, making for an amazing display of their idiosyncratic talent, a shocking display of musical knowledge, and abilities from baritone sax, to congos and bongos, to guitar and piano and more. Basically wow, an all out party, comparable to one of my favorite party atmospheres,a Badfish shows, but with a different kind of flavor that makes it without a doubt a rare experience in today's music scene.